NANCY MILLER'S PERSONAL WEB SITE

There is a wealth of information available on the Empire State College website and on other sites that can assist you with your studies. This is not intended to be a comprehensive listing, but it will give you quick access to informational sites that will help you to make better use of your study sessions. As stated previously, this is a work-in-progress and will change as other effective sites are discovered. All major subject headings are arranged in alphabetical order for easy access. Please contact me if you have additional subject areas that you would like to see included or any suggestions that would improve the website and make it a more effective resource!

Academic Integrity:

Empire State College - Academic Integrity
This site defines the role of academic integrity at Empire State College and provides the college policy. It also provides an excellent booklet entitled "Academic Integrity: Writing the Research Paper" that reviews how to quote, summarize, and paraphrase properly in your writing.

Understanding Citations: A Guide to Properly Citing Sources in Your Academic Work (PowerPoint Presentation) - under Document Your Information Sources heading - Click on "Avoid Plagiarism and Understand Citations".
This site provides a presentation on the proper way to cite your sources and also provides links to APA, MLA, and other citation formats.

Prentice-Hall - Understanding Plagiarism
This site is an excellent resource that describes what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, how to give credit to others appropriately, and quote, summarize and paraphrase your sources. It also provides links to different citation style formats and how to cite electronic sources. You can move between the different sections of the website by clicking on the down-arrow located after the "Jump to" box on upper-left corner of page.

Accounting:

Middlecity Accounting Tutorial
This site covers areas of accounting on both the introductory and intermediate levels.

Simple Studies Accounting Tutorial
This website offers a free online accounting course that provides lectures and exercises covering accounting principles, terms, and equations. Lectures are divided up into: intro to
accounting, accruals, deferrels, applying new techniques, merchandising business, advanced accruals, inventories, and long-term assets.

Annotated Bibliographies:

ESC Library and Learning Resources
This site describes what an annotated bibliography is and provides a variety of links and examples of how to create one properly.

Writing Center - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
This site offers an excellent handout describing annotated bibliographies and their purpose. It also presents different styles that can be utilized in their presentation.

Assessments:

Readi Assessment
This assessment is very thorough and measures your abilities in all of the following areas: time management, persistance, academic attributes, willingness to ask for help, preferred learning style, reading speed and comprehension, technical competency, technical knowledge, and typing speed and accuracy. It provides immediate feedback about your performance and a number of resources that you can access to develop your skills. Although this was designed for online students, the information provided is valid and useful for all students. To begin the assessment, you need to insert the following information:
Username: cdlstudent Password: esc


Business Skills:

ESC Business Writing
Writing in the business environment involves learning how to make your point and persuade your client of the value of your proposals. Learning how to properly word an e-mail message is also essential. This site provides a variety of links that will help you to develop your skills and get your ideas across more effectively.

Digital Librarian - Business & Finance section
The Business & Finance section of this website provides information on stock and mercantile exchanges, indices, business plans and schools, economic indicators, business magazines & journals, and much more.

Wall Street Executive Library
Provides links to newspapers and journals, a business tookit, and research findings in the following areas: government, financial markets, company & industry, business & legal,
marketing & advertising, statistics & economics, career & education, etc.

The Mindtools website has tabs that will connect you to all of the following subject areas. Although they also try to sell their products, there is a vast amount of free information that is available. It is definitely a site worth looking into!

Communication Skills
Provides information on: how to make a good first impression, better public speaking, writing skills, effective e-mail, ice-breakers, running effective meetings, win-win negotiation, speaking to an audience, and active listening.

Leadership Skills
Provides information on: leadership motivation, information gathering, building expert power, task allocation, understanding developmental needs, leadership styles, conflict resolution, mission statements & vision statements, and successful delegation.

Problem Solving Techniques
This site contains information on: drill-down techniques, cause & effect diagrams, systems diagrams, SWOT, cash flow forecasting with spreadsheets, risk analysis, Porter's Five Forces, PEST analysis, Value Chain analysis, and USP analysis.

Decision-Making
Provides information on: Pareto analysis, paired comparison analysis, grid analysis, decision trees, PMI, force field analysis, six thinking hats, and cost/benefit analysis.

Project Planning
Provides information on: estimating time accurately, scheduling simple projects, Gantt charts, critical path analysis & PERT, the planning cycle, planning large projects & programs, and stakeholder analysis & management.

Practical Creativity
Provides information on: reversal, SCAMPER, attribute listing, morphological & matrix analysis, brainstorming, reframing matrix, concept fan, random input, provocation, DO IT, and simplex problem solving process.

The Mindtool's site also provides information on Time Management, Stress Management, Information Skills, and Memory Improvement. These links are located under the appropriate subject areas that follow.

Career Information:

ESC Career Resources Center
This site provides a wealth of information on self-assessment, performing a job search (cover letters, resume, networking, using headhunters) interview skills, career resources, and marketing yourself effectively.



Computer Skills:

Firstfind
By clicking on the Computer & Technology link, you will be provided with tutorials on how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Front Page, how to use the internet, information about buying a computer and addressing minor computer problems.

GCF Learnfree
Free membership provides access to tutorials covering computer basics, the internet, e-mail basics, and Microsoft Office programs (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Outlook, and Publisher). It also provides free Open Source programs for those that do not have Microsoft Office programs on their computers.

Excel Tutorial
This site provides a basic tutorial on Microsoft Excel and the creation of spreadsheets.

Learn to Type
Free membership allows you to test and practice your skills and keep a record of how you progress. Tutorials are available for both children and adults.

Educational Planning:

Degree Program Planning
Empire State College offers students the unique opportunity of designing their own individualized degree program based on their prior education, prior learning experiences, and future goals. The Degree Program Planning guide can help you through this process by linking you to information on the following topics: area of study guidelines, the Office of Collegewide Academic Review, developing your degree program, prior learning assessment, and the SUNY general education requirements. This guide also provides links to the Student Degree Planning Guide and the Student Guide to Credit for Prior College-Level Learning. Additional College Tools and Resources are given such as the DP Planner, the Career Resource Center and the College Source Online.

DP Planner
The Degree Program Planner is designed to help students and mentors work together to create a degree program and rationale essay. For additional information about using the DP planner, go to the Tech Presentations page and scroll down to the Using the Degree Planner section:

1. About Degree Planning
2. How to Use the DP Planner
3. Frequently Asked Questions:
a. How Do I Get Started Using the DP Planner? (transcript)
b. How Do I Move Credit Titles Around? (transcript)
c. How Do I Add or Delete Titles? (transcript)
d. How Do I Add Transcript Sources? (transcript)
e. How Do I Attach My Rationale Essay? (transcript)
f. How Do I Request a Review? (transcript)

Evaluating Information on the Internet:

ESC Information Literacy
This site gives you five basic questions you should ask when evaluating information on a website. It also provides a Web Site Evaluation Worksheet, hints about URL's and links to additional resources.

Evaluating Information on the Internet - John Hopkins University
Provides you with all of the criteria you need to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of the information you have taken from an internet site.

Goal Setting:

Goal Setting Tips - This site provides everything that you ever wanted to know about creating long and short-term goals and setting priorities in your life.

Mindtools Personal Goal Setting
This site covers long and short-term goal planning in a range of categories designed to provide balance in your life. It also provides an introduction to the "SMART" way to make your goals more powerful and identifies tips that will make you more successful.

Information Literacy:

ESC Information Literacy Online Study
This study consists of eight modules designed to assist you in the development of a research project:
Module 1: Introduction to Information Literacy
Module 2: Designing a Research Project
Module 3: Locating Background Information
Module 4: Locating Books in Libraries
Module 5: Using Online Database Services
Module 6: Exploring Empire State College's Research Databases
Module 7: Researching on the Internet
Module 8: Evaluating, Documenting, and Organizing Resources

Learning Styles:

DVC Learning Style Survey
Provides learning styles survey, instant feedback that identifies your particular learning style, and strategies that will make you more effective as a college student.

Mindtools Learning Styles
This site provides a learning style inventory and instant feedback that allows you to identify strategies you can use to study more effectively.

Math:

ESC Online Mathematics Library
This site provides links to quallity web-based resources dealing with a wide range of topics: math anxiety, self-assessments, and all levels of math assistance.

The World of Math Online
This site provides tutorials, examples, and quizzes to test your skills in the following areas: Basic Skills, Everyday Math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, Calculus, Advanced Topics, and others.

GCF Learnfree
Free membership provides basic math tutorials on whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents. (Go to Tutorials tab to access available subject areas and select Basic Math)

SOS Math
Provides tutorials on Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Differential Equations, Complex Variables, Matrix Algebra, and Mathematical Tables. It also provides background information such as working with fractions and decimals.

Algebra Help
This site provides lessons, calculators, and worksheets that will help to improve your understanding of algebra.

Solving Math Word Problems
Provides strategies for solving math word problems and linear equations, evaluating algebraic expressions, preparing for math exams, and developing spreadsheets. It also has a math bibliography listing additional links to resources.

On-line Library:

ESC Library and Learning Resources - Find Info Quick Start Tutorial
Helps you to get started with your research by describing requirements of different types of papers, how to find keywords and create a search, identify scholarly or peer-reviewed journals, locate articles and books, evaluate your information sources, use reference library, avoid plagarism and cite your sources properly.

ESC Library and Learning Resources - Database Subject Guides
This will provide you with links to the databases in the online library that relate to your particular subject area and is a good starting point as you begin your search for scholarly
materials.

Help/Tutorials
Provides assistance in the following areas:

• Library Access/Orientation
• Research Database Tutorials
• Research Techniques
• Search Tips

Library and Research Resources Information
This site provides information on how to locate books and journals available in ESC online library and identify those that can be accessed at area libraries.

Digital Librarian
This site contains a librarian's choice of the best of the web. It provides information on a wide range of different subject areas.

Ask-a-Librarian
This allows students to get answers about how to locate information on the online library.

Reading:

Mindtools Information Section
Provides information on SQ3R technique, speed reading, and reading strategies.

ESC Writing Resource Center - Critical Reading Exercises
Provides strategies for effective reading and what questions you should be asking while you read.

How the Language Really Works: The Fundamentals of Critical Reading and Effective Writing
Provides the fundamentals on how to critically read and effectively write.

Sentence Structure and Punctuation:

ESC Writers Complex - Grammar and Punctuation Section - Scroll down to Bottom-Line, Low Anxiety Grammar and Sentence Structure
This site reviews basic sentence structure and provides tutorials and interactive exercises to test your skills.

ESC Writers Complex - Punctuation Points
This site provides the reason for punctuation in your wrting and gives examples as to when each kind of punctuation should be used.


Study Skills:

Study Guides and Strategies
Extensive resource with information on all aspects of learning and study skills including reading skills, test preparation, writing and research skills, critical thinking, time/stress management, online-learning, and areas too numerous to mention. Take a look!

How to Study
This site covers all aspects of study skills including how to study and write for specific subject areas.

Mindtools
Provides sections on time-management, stress management, information skills (reading and learning styles) and memory improvement strategies.

Time/Stress Management:

Personal Time Management Guide
Information on a variety of different topics is included: finding time, goal setting, procrastination, decision-making skills, and stress management.

Time Management Strategies for Improving Academic Performance (Virginia Tech)
This site will help you to identify where you may be wasting time, your strengths and weaknesses in time management, how to evaluate your schedule, and strategies for managing your time more effectively.

Mindtools Time Management and Stress Management
Time Management Section - This section covers many aspects of time management including: beating procrastination, utilizing activity logs, action plans, and "To Do" lists, goal setting, and effective scheduling.

Stress Management Section - Provides a variety of techniques that you can utilize to lower your stress levels and help you to function more effectively.

Writing a Rationale:

Degree Program Rationale
This site provides you with an overview of the purpose of the Degree Program Rationale and what should be included.

The File Cabinet
The file cabinet contains sample rationales from students in a wide variety of area majors and gives you an idea of how you may be able to approach your own rationale.

Writing a Research Paper and Citing Sources:

ESC Writers Complex - Research Room
This site provides detailed explanations of each step of the research paper writing process and exercises designed to enhance your skills. Areas covered include: developing research questions and thesis, finding and evaluating sources, taking notes, working with quotations, writing summaries and paraphrases, building an essay draft, documenting sources, revising and proofreading. There are also workshops that assist you with punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure.

ESC Writers Complex - Tutors Mailbox
This site allows students to submit a question for a writing tutor or actually submit a copy of a paper for tutor review. You should receive feedback on your submission within 48 hours.

Purdue Online Writing Lab
By typing what you are looking for in the "Search the OWL" box, you will be given access to information on every aspect of writing - from grammar and sentence structure to essay and research paper organization. Citations in APA and MLA formats are also included.

Make a Citation (MAC)
This site assists you with the writing of your citations. You fill in the information and they create the citation for you in APA or MLA format.

The File Cabinet
The file cabinet provides samples of student writing assignments by area of study, type of writing assignment, or by individual study. You must use your Empire State College log-in to utilize this site.















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